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The northern third of the trail is rated
a 3 -- you definitely need 4-wheel-drive. Stock 4x4s can make the trip,
but wide tires and low air pressure are extremely useful. Beware of
erosion damage on the trail.
The central third of the trail is also rated 3 -- the difficulty of
the hill climbs increases. The major obstacles are erosion gulleys and
hills covered with loose rock. Some places require taking the bypass
roads.
The southern third of the trail
is rated a 3.5 - 4 -- long steep hills make at least one locker essential,
and it helps to have a friend with a winch.
Remember to Tread lightly!
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How to Get There:
To reach the north end of the trail,
take I-19 exit 56 "Canoa"; go south on the frontage road;
turn east on Elephant Head Road; turn southeast on Mt. Hopkins Road.
Go south through the gate where Mt. Hopkins Road goes under the powerline.
To reach the south end of the trail, take I-19 exit 17 "Rio Rico";
go east 1 mile on Rio Rico Drive; go north about 6 miles on Pendleton
Dr.; turn northeast on Camino Josefina. After a few miles, turn left
on Amatista; another unmarked left turn gets you to the powerline. Beware
that the transition from pavement to serious hill climbing is quite
abrupt. The trail is easy to follow
because it runs mostly under the powerline. There are several places
where the terrain makes it necessary to take a detour. Sometimes the
bypass is easy to find, but in other places the route is fairly obscure.
Several public roads and ranch roads intersect the trail along the way
dividing it easily into thirds. The easier northern section ends at
the old Mt. Hopkins road in Montosa Canyon. Some of the ranch roads
are private so they should only be used for emergencies.
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